CASF requests pushing $200 million already

I’m counting about twenty applications for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grants and loans tonight. The deadline just passed, and the dust hasn’t settled from the email service list yet. So there might be – probably will be – more. But the total is pushing close to $200 million, which means there’s going to be some tough decisions coming at the California Public Utilities Commission.

It looks like the combined proposals will go well over the CASF’s authorized limit, let alone what they have on hand.

The big one is from the Northern California Regional Middle Mile Infrastructure Project (NCRMMI). They want $119 million. Pretty much everything in the kitty now, and more.

Most of the rest of the projects are much smaller, in the six figure range, although there are some FTTH proposals in the multi-million dollar range. Race Communications is back in the hunt, re-submitting their applications from last October for Boron and Mojave, adding California City and some high other desert towns in Kern County, plus some more communities in Mono County. Their total request is up around the $40 million mark.

ViaSat is also back with a vengeance. They want $11 million and the rights to a swath of California from Mexico to Oregon. With their satellite Internet service they can reach just about anyone, but there’s more than a little controversy about the concept of state subsidies for it. Any area that they claim will be ineligible for CASF funding for several years.